The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1887-03-10
that Il has the richest Of lands ALSO and the best eli
mate the continent and wha deposits of mineral treas
of vast importance

l TIcneSL
mate the continent and wtha deposits of mineral treas
| ures of vast Importance.
| PHosPHATEs.
Only very little part of the labor of this preliminary
could be given the discovery of the large deposits
rich phosphaes that assured repong in easy access
within the State But several localities have been found to
deposits of this material quite rich in phosphorc
the phosphate rocks Cooper and Ashley rivers
| in South Carolina
No special attention has been purposed for the discovery
particular deposits but the abundance of evidence
Of phosphaes of me phosphaes Of Silica phosphaes Of
aumna and phosphates of iron, especially, could not
go unoberved The wide distribution of that class of
| Fossils whose life-forms have evidently been the
of the phosphorc acid constituting the phos
plate rocks nams the sharks whales and manatee occa
stoned slight divergence of attention. and has led to
very important discoveries Those thus far, have been
made in the counties of Wakua Alachua, Marion, Hills
borough and Manatee
There present the phosphate stratum numerous fos
sils comprising mostly finely preserved sharks teeth OF the
Species and OF immense sze as OF nve
inches length of each cutting edge With these vast
numbers Of the fragments of ribs mostly Of the manaee
The manatee of the age also animal of giant
size the ribs are OF them two inches in thickness
This carcharodon have attained the size of hundred
feet in length.
The locality Wakua county in which have made the
chief discovery yet of phosphates in the southwestern
part between the Sopchoppy and Ocklockonee rivers In
this locality the material is in triple phosphate of lime,
iron and alumina When in rock mass this is sandstone.
Present in this fragments of fossil bones and
teeth of sharks The enamel of the latter well preserved
The bones pered and in their acquired materials
very similar the material Of the matx in which they
mbedded Where the fossils abundant in sand depos
it. is the in various places this sand rich in phos
phorc acid to depth of stratum of IL to IA inches
This sand submitted by Prof H. S. Greene, of st.
Louis to Prot. A. Merrel NJ. D., Consulting Chemist and
Analyst ST. Louis Mo-, for qualitative analysis. In letter
from Merrel to Prof Greeno reporting the inspection OF
this sand the following appears "Gray sample surround
ing material Sopchoppy No p Phosphate in abundance"
The following, received by Prof Greene Also giving
suits of Inspection has, in No. H. the sample of this sand
bed of the bones:
REGIS CHAuvENEr & Bro, Analytical Chemists,
100 Pine Street,
ST. LOUIS, Mo-, JAN Is, 1887.
Dr. H. s. Greene:
DEAR SIR: Samples of earthly phosphstes, marked No.
l. Sopchoppy rock; No. O. Ocklockonee rock and No. g.
surrounding rock matrix Of fosss] left with lis for
qualitative analysis examination show quite amount
Of phosphoric acid hence rich in phosphates Sam
pie No. l is very rich and may say that it
will analyze close to 20 per cent. in phosphorc
acid No. will probably anayze 10 to Is per cent. of
phosphoric acid, while No. 8 will not SO high. On
the whole the samples quite rich enough for the market
and merit further examination. Respectfully,
Of the above samples no one contained any of the fossil
materials but all consisted of the soft surrounding clay and
sand except No. which sand rock taken from spot
remote from fossils
The following letter from Prof j. NJ Pickel, of the
Florida State Agricultural College:
STATE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE, !
LAKE CRY, Fla, February g. 1887.
DR.. H. Kos, State Geological:
DEAR SIR: The Sopchoppy phosphate rock which you
left with for analysis contains 1885 per cent of phos
phorc acid (P g. O s., equivalent to 1905 per cent bone
phosphate of lime Ca g. P2 Os). Very respectfully,
JIM. PIcKEI, Prof of Chemistry.
P. S.-No bone included in the sample analysed.
j. M. PICKEL.
In the analysis of Prof Mere the sandstone deposit in
which stratum the fossil bones imbedded pronoun
ced by him as having phosphate in abundance and closely
allied to No. O. gray sample" (sand)
The pophates of the other localities in the State where
have found hem Of the character and richness
as those of Wakula county.
The great question is what is the extent of the de-
posts AS this it has been quite out of my power
determine any definite But do know that the
distribution is through several townships Wakua county,
and has thickness Of 10 to IA inches and is resting in
depth of from feet below the surface 1t is not known,
however, that the deposit continuous throughout the To-
caltes where found whether only in patches The in
vestigation is as yet only commenced.
MARLs.
Shell mars of marine deposit discovered in nearly
all parts of the State These generally Of value
as fertilizers but far inferior to the phosphaes The de-
posts of mars often in beds and of greatly varied
state of dsntegration Some very fine and compact;
Others coarse and loose The mars have their adaptation
wherever the soils in want of akaies lime and pot
ash 1t u.s. in the MAN, better adapted to sandy than to
clay Soils and the orange and others of the citrus tribe
are generally benefited by its liberal supply
LIME.
No more important article for building purposes, the